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'The Shining' - Did Kubrick Goof? Quiz

It's hard to believe that a filmmaker as meticulous and driven to perfection as Stanley Kubrick could release a film with continuity errors and other goofs, but there do appear to be some in 'The Shining', and this quiz asks about them. Enjoy!

A multiple-choice quiz by rj211. Estimated time: 9 mins.

Author
rj211

Time
9 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
77,273

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
3298

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 24 (8/10), Guest 140 (4/10), Guest 162 (7/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In which scene is the shadow of a helicopter shown when it probably shouldn't have been? Hint

The scene when Danny and Wendy are shown exploring the hedge maze.

The movie's first scene, when Jack is driving to the Overlook for his interview.

The climactic scene when Jack is chopping his way into the bathroom and Danny is shown sliding down the snowbank outside.

The scene in the storage room when Grady talks to Jack.

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Question 2 of 10

2. In the conversation between Wendy and Danny (and Tony) about whether or not they want to go to the Overlook, Danny's sandwich is disappearing faster than he is eating it. After one line of Wendy's, the sandwich is missing a particularly unlikely amount. What was the line said by Wendy during the apparent devouring of the sandwich, and what was Danny saying as we saw the unlikely shot? Hint

W: 'Now, I just want you to just stay here and watch your cartoons, okay? Okay hon?' D (as Tony): 'Yes, Mrs. Torrance.'

W: 'I didn't think it was going to be this big, did you?' D: 'No.'

W: 'Well how come you don't wanna go?' D (as Tony): 'I just don't.'

W: 'Tony's his imaginary friend.' D: 'He's the little boy who lives in my mouth.'

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Question 3 of 10

3. There are some pretty blatant problems with the freezer part of the kitchen tour Dick gives to Wendy and Danny. What are they? Hint

Dick opens the door to the freezer from one side, but when the shot cuts inside the freezer, the door's hinges are on the other side. Also, upon entering the freezer, it was shown next to the Chef's Office, but on exiting, it is across the hall.

The shot inside the freezer shows a colorful bulletin board on the wall across the hall, but when they are exiting, the hallway shot clearly shows a window across from the freezer. Also, Dick's pants are a much darker shade blue when inside the freezer.

When the threesome is in the freezer, Wendy takes off her jacket, but when they exit she is shown fully dressed. Also, the shot inside the freezer shows Dick clearly leaving the room last, but the hallway shot shows him coming out before Wendy.

When Dick starts opening the freezer door from the outside, it is shown to be blue, but when they exit and the door closes, it is metallic. Also, the shot upon opening the door shows Danny going in first, but the shot inside shows Dick entering first.

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Question 4 of 10

4. What is the continuity problem with Danny in the conversation in the kitchen between him and Dick about shining? Hint

Danny's hands change position between each camera set-up.

Danny is wearing a different colored undershirt in one camera set-up.

Danny is shown crying on one shot, but in the adjoining shots there is no sign of it.

Danny's haircut is shorter in one camera set-up.

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Question 5 of 10

5. The shot that shows Jack bouncing a ball against the wall of the Colorado room starts with a close-up of the typewriter. What is discontinuous about the typewriter between this shot of it, and the one we see when Wendy finds the 'All work and no play...' pages? Hint

It is white in the first scene and is blue in the next one.

It is electric in the first scene and manual in the second one.

In the first scene it is covered with stickers; in the second scene it is perfectly clean.

In the first scene it has some of the letter keys worn off; in the second scene it looks brand new.

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Question 6 of 10

6. At the beginning of the 'I'm not being grouchy' scene, Jack clearly rips a paper out of the typewriter as Wendy approaches. What is problematic about this in the context of the scene as cut? Hint

Jack was typing during the conversation, but he never reloaded the typewriter.

Wendy walks up and pulls a piece of paper out of the typewriter to read.

The typewriter is clearly shown with fresh paper mid-scene, then empty again at the end.

When Wendy leaves and we cut back to Jack, there is a piece of paper waiting in the typewriter.

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Question 7 of 10

7. When Wendy first hears Danny exclaiming 'Redrum!' in his bed, she is in the next room trying to talk herself through a way to get Danny some help. There is a continuity problem between this shot (in the main room of their apartment) and the one where she enters Danny's bedroom to comfort him and try to wake him up. What is the continuity error? Hint

In the main room, Wendy's hair is disheveled from the argument she just had with Jack, but in Danny's room it is neatly groomed.

In the main room, we can see a scratch on Wendy's face from where Jack hit her, but in Danny's room there is no sign of it.

In the main room, Wendy is wearing only socks, but in Danny's room she has her boots on.

In the main room, Wendy is clearly holding a cigarette in her right hand and she is shown going to Danny's door with it, but when the shot changes to inside Danny's room, she has no cigarette.

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Question 8 of 10

8. In the scene where Wendy finds Jack's typed pages of 'All work and no play make Jack a dull boy', the floor in front of the fireplace (on the left side of the screen) is clearly shown to be bare as she enters the Colorado Room. Later when she is fending Jack off on the stairs and the camera cuts to her perspective, the same area of the floor in front of the fireplace is shown, but now there is something on the floor there. What has appeared? Hint

some toy trucks of Danny's

a bearskin rug

the girls that Danny keeps seeing

some broken glass alcohol bottles

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Question 9 of 10

9. After Wendy knocks Jack unconscious with the baseball bat and is dragging him into the storage room, what is problematic about Jack as he is dragged? Hint

The wear on the soles of Jack's boots, as we see them in Wendy's hands, changes between the shots.

His arms are shown passing the doorframe in the shot from outside, then from the shot from inside, they pass through the doorframe again.

The number of buttons done up on Jack's shirt increases when the film cuts to the shot from inside the storage room.

On the shot from outside of the room, Jack is lying on his stomach, but when we cut to the inside shot, he is on his back.

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Question 10 of 10

10. When Jack is coming after Wendy and Danny, they retreat to the bathroom in their apartment. Jack proceeds to chop through the door with an axe. What is problematic about the shots showing this door during this sequence? Hint

When Jack leans into the door to say 'Here's Johnny', there are only two panels missing. When we see Jack and the door after we realize Dick is arriving, there are four panels knocked out.

When Jack leans into the door to say 'Here's Johnny', there is only one panel missing. When we see Jack and the door after we realize Dick is arriving, there are two panels knocked out.

When we see the inside of the door on the side of the screen in the shots of Wendy cowering in the shower, it is pale blue. When we see the inside of the door when Jack reaches through it to turn the knob, it is pale yellow.

When we see the inside of the door on the side of the screen in the shots of Wendy cowering in the shower, it is bright red. When we see the inside of the door when Jack reaches through it to turn the knob, it is bright orange.

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In which scene is the shadow of a helicopter shown when it probably shouldn't have been?

Answer: The movie's first scene, when Jack is driving to the Overlook for his interview.

This should have been easy, as it is the only scene filmed with a helicopter. The shadow of the helicopter is seen against some rocky hillside in the lower right hand corner. Then in the first shot of the Overlook, you can see the blades of the helicopter cutting through the top of the screen. I'm not sure what Kubrick could have intended with these, and am inclined to call them true goofs.

A helicopter shot must be quite expensive, so I can understand not wanting to redo it.

Answer: W: 'Well how come you don't wanna go?' D (as Tony): 'I just don't.'

It seems possible that Kubrick just didn't think this one mattered too much. I suppose this is the danger of doing tons of takes for each scene, though. The other exchanges are from (or derivative of) other points in the film.

3. There are some pretty blatant problems with the freezer part of the kitchen tour Dick gives to Wendy and Danny. What are they?

Answer: Dick opens the door to the freezer from one side, but when the shot cuts inside the freezer, the door's hinges are on the other side. Also, upon entering the freezer, it was shown next to the Chef's Office, but on exiting, it is across the hall.

I can't imagine what happened here, unless Dick accidentally went to open the wrong door and they decided to use that take. From what I've heard of Kubrick, though, I doubt that could be the case. I imagine Kubrick was simply trying to disorient the viewer. I've also heard it suggested that he is introducing the viewer to the power the hotel has to alter what we consider to be physical realities.

4. What is the continuity problem with Danny in the conversation in the kitchen between him and Dick about shining?

Answer: Danny's hands change position between each camera set-up.

Again, probably symptomatic of doing so many takes, and I'm sure it didn't help that Danny was a kid. What amazed me, though, was how consistent the amount of ice cream smeared on Danny's face was. That must have been tiresome for both Danny, the makeup person, and the script supervisor (who is in charge of checking continuity between takes).

Answer: It is white in the first scene and is blue in the next one.

I myself have wondered if they tinted the film slightly in this scene, as when the shots cut between the scene with Jack and Danny's shining sequences, there's pretty clearly a very cold, blue quality to the film on the interaction between Jack and Wendy. I suppose it's also possible that there was a scene cut out explaining how Jack had multiple typewriters with him.

6. At the beginning of the 'I'm not being grouchy' scene, Jack clearly rips a paper out of the typewriter as Wendy approaches. What is problematic about this in the context of the scene as cut?

Answer: When Wendy leaves and we cut back to Jack, there is a piece of paper waiting in the typewriter.

Some folks have suggested that this is because the hotel is 'feeding' Jack paper. I think that's very unlikely and suspect that the scene just had to be cut down so we never see Jack put the new paper in.

Answer: In the main room, Wendy is clearly holding a cigarette in her right hand and she is shown going to Danny's door with it, but when the shot changes to inside Danny's room, she has no cigarette.

I suspect this is, again, just the sort of simple and minor mistake bound to happen when you do so many takes.

Answer: a bearskin rug

I think this must be a goof, as I can't really imagine what purpose it would serve. It's so slight that the audience probably doesn't notice it enough to be effectively disoriented by it. I would assume Kubrick was just trying to use the best performance he got out of Jack (and that was pretty darn good!).

9. After Wendy knocks Jack unconscious with the baseball bat and is dragging him into the storage room, what is problematic about Jack as he is dragged?

Answer: His arms are shown passing the doorframe in the shot from outside, then from the shot from inside, they pass through the doorframe again.

This is probably another example of what happens with all the takes. When you cut together the best of 50 or so performances, the physicalities of them are bound to not match up perfectly. Some people have suggested, though, that the intention in this was to further suggest the power the hotel has to alter the physical boundaries of the world.

Answer: When Jack leans into the door to say 'Here's Johnny', there is only one panel missing. When we see Jack and the door after we realize Dick is arriving, there are two panels knocked out.

Either Jack was very productive while the camera cut away to show Dick, or this is a goof. Or, I suppose, it all has some deeper meaning that I just don't buy into. Apparently, the first doors they had built for these scene were like stunt doors, built flimsy to facilitate work of the 'movie star' who had to break through them. What they didn't know was that Jack Nicholson used to be a volunteer firefighter and know how to use an axe.

He went through the first doors with way to much strength and they shattered.

The carpenters ended up having to build a whole new batch of doors (enough for Kubrick's obscene number of takes) that would be stronger and allow Jack to really lay into them.

Source: Author rj211

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